


there for you through it all

by thekaidonovskys



Series: Becoming Three [16]
Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Canon Disabled Character, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Tendo's past, Multi, Polyamory, Recovery, Surgery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-27
Updated: 2014-08-27
Packaged: 2018-02-15 00:00:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2207940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekaidonovskys/pseuds/thekaidonovskys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Hermann looks down at his ringing phone, grimaces at the name he sees and mutters, “Well I had hoped you had been eaten by a Kaiju,” before answering, Tendo’s naturally curious.</p>
            </blockquote>





	there for you through it all

**Author's Note:**

  * For [consultingcriminalzebra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/consultingcriminalzebra/gifts).



> For my darling Jess, who just had surgery of her own and wanted a story where one of the three had to get a procedure/surgery that ended up being worse than they let on and the other two just heaping comfort onto them when they find out. I hope this fits the bill!

When Hermann looks down at his ringing phone, grimaces at the name he sees and mutters, “Well I had _hoped_ you had been eaten by a Kaiju,” before answering, Tendo’s naturally curious. 

He looks to Newt, who just shrugs. So they both just watch Hermann instead and hope for some clues.

“I can assure you, it has not magically healed itself,” Hermann’s saying, sounding exasperated. “Yes, there are still bad days - once every few months.” He pauses to listen, then sighs. “Well I suppose I have no reason to refuse. But you’ll have to come to me, I’m not picking up and travelling across the world… Geneva. Switzerland. And it must be within the next two weeks, as I have plans in a month’s time that I wish to be fully recovered for.”

Tendo smiles a little at that - because Hermann’s plans, of which this is the first Tendo has heard of, happen to coincide with their anniversary. But he’ll focus on trying to coax information out of Hermann on that later; right now he’s curious about what exactly is going on here.

Hermann hangs up after a few minutes, shaking his head. He looks at the two of them, and something in his expression is a little tentative. “My apologies in advance,” he says.

“You could not have picked a _worse_ statement to begin explaining with,” Newt says immediately. “What is it?”

“Medical treatment,” Hermann says. “Surgery, to be precise. I’m part of a program for treating… conditions such as mine. They wish to operate on my leg - a minor procedure, and certainly no promises of results, but very little risk of adverse harm either. The apology is for the recovery time afterwards.”

“You’re a medical lab rat?” Newt raises an eyebrow. “Huh. Didn’t expect it of you somehow.”

“Yes, well, it has been many years since I last had a procedure. The war rather outranked it. But they wish to try something new and I’m their best candidate. It’s in a week.”

Tendo nods. “Do you need anything arranged? I presume they’ll send you details - I’ll sort them out for you when they arrive if you like?" 

“Yeah, can I see those when you get them? I kinda want to know exactly what they’re doing to you.” 

Hermann smiles. “I’ll leave it all in both of your hands then,” he says. “It will involve two nights in the hospital, and Newton will have to drop me in and pick me up, but other than small things around the house I should manage myself.” 

Tendo rolls his eyes. “As if, Hermann. We’re taking care of you - deal with it. If it takes camping out outside your hospital room, so be it.” 

“That won’t be necessary,” Hermann says. “If you wish to be my caretakers at home, I can accept that, but you won’t need to come to the hospital. I spend most of the time after a procedure sleeping.”

Newt shrugs. “Alright, if you say so. You know we’re only too happy to be there when you come out of surgery if you want it, and we’ll definitely come in and visit on the day after.”

“Thank you, love. I’d like you to visit, but I’ll be fine after the surgery. I’m well used to this, after all. It’s a very minor surgery - albeit lengthy - and the weeks afterwards will be the time that I’ll appreciate your company more.”

“Yeah, about that,” Tendo says. “What will your status be? Mobile? Will work be an option?”

“I’ll take a few days off, up to a week sometimes is best. For the first couple of days I might be… quite reliant. If that is acceptable.”

“Of course it is, honey,” Newt says, taking his hand. “You know we love taking care of you. Anything you need, just name it.”

Tendo’s taking notes. “Alright, I’ll prepare accordingly. And so in a month you’ll be healed up and ready for…”

Hermann smirks. “Oh, you’re not getting it out of me that easily, sweetheart. Just wait and see.”

Tendo pouts. So does Newt. Tendo has it on good authority that the double pout can convince Hermann to do just about anything.

Hermann immediately turns away, and Tendo groans. It’s the only foolproof measure.

***

Newt drops Hermann at the hospital on Friday afternoon, with a promise to call them if he changes his mind about seeing them after surgery. Tendo’s just finishing work when he comes back and they head home together, ordering in pizza and watching bad movies with an eye on their phones. 

Around seven, Tendo’s phone buzzes and he swipes it off the table immediately, Newt pausing the movie. “ _Surgery went fine,_ ” he reads. “ _Visiting hours begin at ten tomorrow if you wish to come by. I love you both.”_

Newt pouts a little. “Damn,” he says. “I was kinda hoping he’d want us to go in.”

“Same,” Tendo admits. “Still, he’s probably groggy and not feeling his best, and if he wants to be alone when he’s like that then that’s okay.”

“I couldn’t think of anything worse than being alone like that,” Newt says. “I’d want to be taken care of.” 

Tendo nods. “We’ll get to look after him over the next few weeks,” he says. “Got your hours?”

“I’m off until Wednesday. Can’t skip out on the rest of it - I’m an extra pair of hands in a rather precarious experiment." 

“No problem, I got the whole week.” Tendo finishes up his reply - _glad to hear it, get plenty of rest and we’ll see you tomorrow, love you lots_ \- puts down his phone and picks up the remote. “Let’s pretend to watch this while we wonder how Hermann’s doing.”

Newt chuckles and rests his head on Tendo’s shoulder, and they do exactly that for the rest of the evening.

***

As if by mutual agreement, they both wake before seven, and spend a little while cuddling together before getting up and dressed. Though, of course, that just leaves them with the prospect of staring at the clock for a few hours, and Tendo sighs over his coffee as he looks at it. “Three hours,” he says. “I don’t want to wait three hours.”

“ _Technically_ we don’t have to,” Newt says. “We’re family on his medical records - we can be there whenever we like.”

“Then why are we here?"

“Because Hermann said ten.”

Tendo sighs again and nods. “Yeah, I guess… though he did say _visiting hours_ were ten. He didn’t say to not come until then.” Newt shrugs, and Tendo echoes it. “Have you seen him after one of these before?” he asks.

Newt shakes his head. “Last time was apparently well before the war. But he did say he’d be fine…”

“Newt, Hermann would say he was fine if he were on _fire_ if it meant he wouldn’t worry us.”

Newt bites his lip. “So… um. How about we head over to the hospital?”

“Sounds like an excellent idea.”

They throw some things together and they’re on their way just before seven-thirty. “He might be asleep,” Newt reasons as he drives. “I hope he is. Surgery is rough, he needs all the rest he can get.”

That’s not the first time Newt’s alluded to some kind of hospital stay, and this is something Tendo doesn’t know about. “What happened to you?” he asks, then winces. “Shit, no. Wrong wording.”

Newt chuckles. “I know what you’re saying, don’t worry. Remember how I told you that my arm got broken badly when I was a kid? It was bad enough that I needed surgery to put it back to rights.”

Tendo winces. “God. And kids _pushed you_ to make that happen? Was there some kind of consequence?”

“As if. I was told that that was the way things were and if I wanted to skip grades like that, I needed to be prepared for it.”

“That’s just awful.”

Newt shrugs. “I’m past it now. Did I tell you I went to my high school reunion, though? The year before you came to join us.”

“And how was that?”

Tendo glances over and Newt’s smile is so damn smug that he has to smile too. “Considering I’m world famous and I walked in with Hermann Gottlieb on my arm, how do you think?”

Tendo laughs. “Even better in six years when you go to the next one with a partner on _each_ arm, right?"  

“I’m damn excited for that. Hell, Hermann might’ve finally popped the question and I might have _husbands_.”

Tendo tries really hard not to smile too wide at that. He can tell Newt’s doing the same, and they tactfully keep their silence until they pull up at the hospital, at which point it’s all seriousness. “Alright,” Tendo says, looking over his paperwork as they walk in. “Level 6, Ward 7, Room 18. Check-in at the nurses station if we plan on visiting outside of hours.”

They head to the lifts. The whole place is pretty silent and they get upstairs without any issue. Hermann’s ward is post-surgery, and thankfully all private rooms. Even better, the two nurses at the station don’t even bat an eyelid when they mention they’re here to see their partner - for all the openness of Geneva, polyamory is still sometimes a tricky subject, and it's good to know they won’t have any issues here. 

“How was he?” Tendo asks as Newt signs them in. “Everything went okay?”

“The procedure was straightforward, and he was very quiet throughout the night. Though the night nurse says he was awake both times when she came to check his blood pressure, so she’s not sure how much rest he got.”

They’re directed to his room and as they approach, they can hear the sound of the television. It’s some kind of morning breakfast show, the type that Hermann usually avoids, which is a bit odd. But Tendo figures there’s nothing better on, and if Hermann’s bored enough to be watching it then he’ll be grateful for the books they’ve brought with them (and hopefully grateful for their company too).

When they enter the room, however, they see that boredom has nothing to do with it.

Hermann’s eyes are on the screen, but they’re unfocused. The circles under his eyes are dark and pronounced, and his face is pale. The estimate of _not much sleep_ quickly changes to _no sleep_. 

And, worst of all, his eyes are bloodshot. Not just from exhaustion, but also, Tendo’s pretty sure, from crying.

Tendo swaps an alarmed and worried look with Newt, before gently knocking on the door. Hermann snaps to attention and turns to look at them, frowning. “It’s early,” he says.

“We know,” Newt says. “But we were worried - and, as it seems, for good reason.”

“What do you mean?”

They pull up chairs on either side of him, neither one touching him for the moment. “Did you sleep at all?” Tendo asks. 

Hermann sighs, then shakes his head. “Perhaps a few minutes here and there, but not substantially.” 

“What happened to being knocked out all night?” Newt asks. “Did something go wrong?” 

“Not _wrong…_ I just couldn’t have the high-strength painkillers this time - it would have reacted badly with the other medications I had to take after the surgery. And with the pain, sleep was hard to come by without them.”

“Did you know that beforehand?” Hermann nods, and Tendo stares him down. “And you didn’t tell us?”

“I knew it would worry you.”

Tendo sighs, as does Newt. “Well, duh,” he says. “That’s our job, Herms. And you know we could’ve been here to help, we could’ve stayed all night instead of you being here on your own. Why didn’t you call?" 

“You know I’m not brave enough to admit when I’m not okay,” Hermann says quietly, and closes his eyes.

Tendo shoots a glance at Newt and sees him looking about as guilty as Tendo feels - in their worry, they’ve pushed it too far and upset Hermann, and that’s not okay at the best of times let alone when he’s tired and in pain. Tendo watches Newt eye up the amount of space on the bed next to Hermann, then suddenly - but carefully - join him, making himself small and curling around Hermann’s good side. He presses a kiss to Hermann’s cheek, then rests his head on his chest and holds him.

Tendo, on the bad leg and IV drip side, can’t do a lot. But he shuffles a little closer and reaches over to stroke Hermann’s hair, softly and as reassuring as he can. “Hey now,” he says gently. “That’s no reflection on your bravery - that’s _all_ about your stubbornness.” Tendo’s pretty sure that Hermann’s rolling his eyes out of sight, but he smiles a little and that’s good enough. “It’s okay,” he continues. “I mean, not okay that you had a bad night, that sucks and we’re sorry that it was bad. But you’ve got enough to be going on with without us making you feel bad about not calling.”

“I feel bad for not calling because I know full well I would have felt better with the two of you here.” Hermann sighs and wraps his arms around Newt, who curls in closer in response. “I just know that I’ll be a burden the next few days and didn’t want to add to that before I had to.”

“Bad word,” Newt says, his voice muffled against Hermann’s chest. “We don’t use that word.”

“Sorry, darling,” Hermann says, but Tendo can tell he isn’t apologising for the sentiment behind the word at all. “Still, it won’t be easy for the two of you. Recovering from a hospital stay is always difficult on loved ones.” 

“By that logic, I was a burden for a good few weeks after mine,” Tendo says quietly. Hermann’s eyes snap open, guilt and worry evident as he looks at Tendo, and Tendo shakes his head. “That wasn’t intended to make you feel guilty, _mein Schatz,_ ” he says. “Just to put it into perspective. How you felt taking care of me is how we’ll feel taking care of you - which starts right now, in case you weren’t clear on that. You had a long surgery and a rough night and the best thing we can do is get you some sleep.”

Hermann yawns, as if on cue, then smiles. “Sleep would be excellent,” he agrees. “I get more painkillers in twenty minutes and, as ineffective as they are, they might dull the pain enough for me to get some rest.” 

“Helps that you’ve got a hot water bottle too,” Tendo says with a grin.

Hermann glances down at Newt fondly. “Indeed,” he says. “As much as I usually require my space to be able to sleep, I think some closeness is just what I need today.” 

“Good,” Newt says. “Because I’m not moving.”

“I wouldn’t let you, love.” Hermann looks back at Tendo, who smiles. “You either. Keep that up.”

“Yes, sir,” Tendo says, and continues stroking Hermann’s hair. “How bad is the pain?”

“Right now it’s tolerable,” Hermann says slowly, as if deciding how forthcoming to be. Tendo keeps watching him, and Hermann sighs and keeps going. “It has been searing at points throughout the night, and that’s on top of the dull ache.” 

Tendo winces sympathetically. “Is that red hot or white hot?”

“White.” 

“God, Hermann, I’m sorry.” Because Tendo knows this one from when Hermann’s leg flares up at the worst - red hot is bad, but at least it’s workable and there are was to make it cooler. But white hot is near intolerable, and no wonder Hermann’s been crying. “I wish we’d been here,” he says quietly. 

“Please don’t try to picture it,” Hermann says, and Tendo gives him a guilty look because yes, that’s exactly what he was doing, picturing Hermann lying here alone in agony and it’s a very bad picture. “It wasn’t that bad all night, and you couldn’t have done anything if you were here anyway.”

“We could’ve done this,” Newt says. 

Hermann sighs. “I know. You’re here now, though.”

Tendo nods. “We are. We’ll take care of you. And I’m gonna start with turning this trash off,” he adds as the celebrity gossip section starts playing. “If you want entertainment, I brought books.”

He switches off the TV, and Hermann nods appreciatively at the bag of books on the ground. “I’ll look through them later. For now, could you check my emails for me?”

“Sure can.” Tendo picks up Hermann’s phone and logs in, then blinks at the sheer volume that pops up. “Good god, Hermann, why do you have so much junk mail?”

“I never remember to unsubscribe.”

Tendo rolls his eyes. “Well, since we’ve got a few days off, I’m gonna set you up some filters and folders and -“

“What do you mean, _we’ve_ got a few days off?”

Newt snorts. “C’mon, Herms. You really thought we’d just go to work and leave you at home alone?I’ve got four more days off, Tendo’s got the whole week. So this? Yeah, this is gonna be happening _constantly_.”

“Oh joy,” Hermann says, rolling his eyes - but he looks touched anyway. “You may do as you wish with my emails then. Is there anything important?”

There are a few things - a memo from work, an update on one of Hermann’s research proposals - and Tendo reads them out. Hermann dictates replies, and even though he could be doing this himself easily, Tendo’s all too happy to do it. He certainly wouldn’t want to make Hermann let go of Newt who, if he’s not mistaken, might actually have gone to sleep. 

By the time that’s done, there are footsteps headed their way, and Hermann gently nudges Newt awake. “You probably shouldn’t be there,” he says. 

“Yeah, well,” Newt says by means of a very intelligent reply.

Tendo rolls his eyes just as the nurse walks in and stops, raising an eyebrow at Newt. “At this point I’m meant to advise you that the best spot for you is in the visitors chair,” she says.

“Duly noted,” Newt says, and doesn’t budge an inch.

She smiles and hands the medication to Hermann. “Looks like you’ve got the right way of living,” she teases lightly. “Twice the amount of care." 

Usually Hermann would make some kind of quip about twice the amount of trouble, Tendo knows, but instead he just nods. “It’s well appreciated,” he says and takes the pills. “If I’m asleep when you bring the next dose -“

“As we hope and pray,” Tendo cuts in.

“- then please leave it with Tendo,” Hermann completes, giving him a fond but stern look. 

“Of course, Doctor Gottlieb. Would you like another bed brought in for tonight? I don’t think all three of you will fit on that one.”

“Oh, no, they won’t be -“

“Yes, we will,” Tendo says, and Newt nods. “That’d be great, thank you.”

“I’ll arrange that for you,” she says, pausing to check the machines, then walking back out.

Hermann’s look this time is much more stern. “You should both go home to sleep.”

“Well, yeah, but you see, that means leaving you here alone,” Newt says, settling back in and closing his eyes. “And I love you too damn much to do that, Hermann. If you’re going to be awake crying, then you’re gonna be doing it in my arms, got it? Or Tendo’s,” he amends after a moment. “The point still stands.”

Hermann raises an eyebrow at Tendo, who nods. “What he said. There’s no way you’d leave either of us if the roles were reversed.”

Hermann still looks unsure. “Are you certain you’ll…" 

And Tendo understands. “I do believe it’s my turn to worry about you,” he scolds gently. “Don’t you fret, gorgeous, I’ll be fine. Now, go to sleep.”

Hermann’s about ready to argue, he can tell, so Tendo pauses in the hair stroking for a moment to switch to his nails, gently scritching just at the nape of Hermann’s neck. Hermann immediately relaxes further, closing his eyes with a sigh, and Tendo smiles. “That’s definitely not playing fair,” Hermann murmurs.

“Considering the game is _make Hermann Gottlieb go the fuck to sleep,_ I think I’m doing just fine,” Tendo says quietly. “You’re exhausted, _myshka._ Get some rest.”

Newt opens his eyes. “What was that one?”

“ _Myshka,_ ” Hermann repeats, his voice thick with tiredness but also a bit of amusement. “Russian for _little mouse._ Really, Tendo?”

“Hey, not my fault you two stole all the good pet names. Both of you shut up and sleep.”

There’s not a word out of them after that, and it's only a few minutes before they’re both fast asleep. Tendo carefully shifts his hand away, watches them both for a bit, then turns away to the bag of books. He’s hoping Hermann will be knocked out for a good few hours, and Newt will take any excuse to nap, so it’s just Tendo for the next while.  

And for the next while, it’s actually kind of nice. Hospitals aren’t the best of places and Tendo’s never really _comfortable_ when he’s in one, but he’s always happy to have his partners under his care. The protectiveness and defensiveness kicks in - Hermann might endure fire to pretend he’s fine and not worry his partners; Tendo would endure it to make sure no harm could ever come to the two of them. And he knows they both feel the same. 

So he’ll sit here and read for a bit and watch over the two of them. 

*** 

After about five hours, Hermann starts getting restless. His brow is furrowed and Tendo can tell that the painkillers are losing any effectiveness they might have had. He looks up at Newt, who only napped for a couple of hours and is now back in the other chair, and shrugs. Newt shrugs back, then hops back on the bed and puts his arms around Hermann, who settles slightly. But he’s still restless, and Tendo keeps one eye on Hermann as he finishes up his chapter, knowing that there’s still awhile until his next dose and hoping he’ll be able to get a bit more sleep yet. 

He doesn’t. Hermann shifts in his sleep, rolling slightly towards Tendo, then suddenly shoots awake with a small cry of pain. Tendo drops the book immediately and wraps his arms around Hermann’s shoulders, holding him steady. “Shh, it’s okay,” he murmurs. “Just breathe, it’ll settle in a second.”

Between that and Newt rubbing his back, Hermann gets through that spike of pain with gritted teeth and only a few muttered German words - the kind that Tendo now understands. “Okay,” he says after about a minute. “It’s better.”

Neither one lets him go, however, and Hermann doesn’t ask them to. For awhile they just sit together, offering up as much comfort as Hermann wants to take. Finally Tendo lets go to grab the next dose of painkillers, which Hermann takes. But instead of settling back, he glances between them both a little uneasily. “Would you mind if I asked you both to leave for a moment?”

Tendo raises an eyebrow. “I mean, we’re not gonna say no, but is there a reason?”

“I cannot currently put weight on my leg for longer than about a minute. Which means I cannot get up to - to use the facilities -" 

“Ah,” Newt says, and jumps to his feet. “Bedpan situation. Yeah, I think we can give you a minute alone there. Should we grab the nurse when we go out?”

“If you could. Thank you.”

Tendo follows Newt out and waits while he informs the nurse. “God, I forgot about that,” he says once she’s gone. “It seems so… invasive.”

Newt nods. “I can fully understand him not wanting us there - he’s so _dignified_ all the time and situations like this leave him pretty damn helpless. And I’ve had to use a bedpan before, they’re horrible.”

“I’m pretty relieved I’ve never had to,” Tendo says with a small shudder. “I mean, I had someone waiting outside the bathroom every time when I was in hospital and I wasn't allowed to lock the door, but they at least didn't confine me to the bed.” He shrugs. “I suppose if I’d been that much of a risk, they would’ve kept me on psych ward.”

Newt steps over and hugs him suddenly. It’s not exactly needed, but it’s nice. “I’m glad we got you instead,” he says. 

“Yeah, well I think the fact that you both have _doctor_ before your names kinda helped there.”

Newt chuckles and lets him go. “You sure you’re all good being here, though?” he asks. 

Hermann’s his priority - Tendo has promised never to lie, but deflecting is sometimes necessary when the other is in more need of care. It’s not needed with Newt though, and he can drop his guard a little. “I’m afraid of waking up in the middle of the night and thinking I’m back there,” he admits. “While I’m awake and aware of what’s going on, it’s not a problem, but that moment of trying to adjust is what worries me.”

Newt nods. “I’ll help you through it if it happens. And if you do start feeling uneasy for any reason, tell me, okay? I know Hermann’s priority right now, but you’ve gotta stay safe.”

“I will.”

Tendo kisses him softly, then breaks away when the nurse returns from Hermann’s room. “He’s asking if Newton wouldn’t mind making him coffee,” she says, looking between them. “It’ll have to be weak, and it’s the only one he can have today, but otherwise that’ll be fine." 

“Why does he think I’m incapable of making coffee?” Tendo asks.  


Newt shrugs, looking smug. “You can do everything else in the kitchen, honey. Let me have this one.”

“Alright, alright,” Tendo says, rolling his eyes. He kisses Newt on the cheek. “Make me one too?” 

“As if I wouldn’t.” 

Smiling, Tendo goes back in. “Hey, you,” he says. “You know I can do coffee, right?”

Hermann chuckles. “Yes, I know. But I knew Newton would come back and monopolize the bed again, and I thought I might ask for a bit of time with you first.” 

Tendo immediately crosses to the other side of the bed. “Not a problem at all, gorgeous,” he says as he gently lies down next to Hermann and curls into his side.

Hermann gives him a look. “Now really isn’t the best time to be calling me that.”

“What? Gorgeous? Just because you’re a bit sleep deprived and wearing an unappealing hospital gown? Hermann, you're gorgeous all the time. Deal with it. It’s that or _little mouse_ again, anyway.” 

“I’ll take the former,” Hermann says immediately, and Tendo smiles. “Now, apparently I require more sleep. Lie still and be comfortable, and wake me when Newton comes back with coffee.”

Tendo rolls his eyes but goes ahead and does exactly that, and Hermann takes less than two minutes to crash again. Tendo smiles at him fondly for a few moments, then looks around for something to do that doesn't involve moving.

He settles for counting ceiling tiles. They’re the really small kind, too. 

***

Newt takes quarter of an hour to return (1,246 tiles), but when he does it’s with coffee and lunch. “I asked the nurses,” he says as he sets it down on Hermann’s tray, Tendo gently rousing Hermann from his nap. “You’re fine to stop eating the hospital food, unless you want to -" 

“Real food,” Hermann says, and just about knocks Tendo out of the bed in his efforts to grab it. 

“Love you too, Herms,” Tendo mutters and relocates himself to the chair to eat. 

*** 

Hermann insists on staying awake for the rest of the afternoon, in order to sleep that night. Neither Newt nor Tendo are convinced that he _will_ sleep tonight, but that’s Hermann’s call to make.  

Now they just have to help keep him awake.

They put on the TV for awhile, flicking through afternoon talk shows. Hermann verbally dissects one of the therapists and Tendo laughs at another, but something on one of the ads has Newt out of his chair. “Idea,” he announces. “Back in half an hour.” 

He grabs the car keys and bolts.

“He might have an idea,” Tendo says after a moment, “but I certainly don’t have _any_ idea.”

“Nor do I.” Hermann glances over at him a little tentatively. “Have you forgiven me for nearly tipping you out of bed yet?”

Tendo glances back. “Do you just want me to come over there and play with your hair again?"

“Possibly?”

Tendo rolls his eyes, but obeys. “No falling asleep,” he says as he runs his fingernails gently down the back of Hermann’s ear. “Your rules." 

“Yeah, yeah,” Hermann mutters, and his eyes close less than a minute later. Tendo, who figures Hermann can use all the sleep he can get, lets him. 

*** 

He wakes up again pretty quickly when Newt bounds in forty minutes later, arms full. Tendo groans, and Hermann blinks blearily at the contents, then echoes said groan. “Newton, why?”

“Because they’re fun!”

“Newt,” Tendo says gently, as if talking to a small child, “those are board games. Do you not remember what the three of us get like when we play board games? We’re meant to be here to make Hermann feel better, not get sulky at each other when we lose" 

“That’s why we’re gonna play Monopoly,” Newt says, and begins extending Hermann’s table. “Because then Hermann can gloat about winning.”

“Suits me,” Tendo says with a smirk. “You’ll be out in ten minutes and then Hermann and I can play for two hours while you watch and complain.”

“Nu-uh. I’ve got a strategy this time.”

“You’ve got a strategy every time, darling,” Hermann says, and adjusts his bed just a little so he can see the board better, then winces and curls over on himself. “It’s okay,” he says through his teeth as Newt and Tendo abandon setting up to offer comfort. “Not as bad this time. Just give me a moment.”

They give him the moment, but don’t leave - Tendo gently cards his fingers through Hermann’s hair while Newt rubs his back. “I’m Mutavore,” Newt says after a few seconds.

Tendo laughs. “As if we’d ever not let you be Mutavore. I’m Bonesquid.”

“I’m still disappointed in myself for letting you buy the Kaiju version,” Hermann says, and straightens back up, covertly wiping away a few tears. Neither one calls him out on it. “Jaegers would have been much better. I _suppose_ I’ll be Scissure.”

Tendo returns to the board, but glances back to see Newt kiss Hermann’s forehead. "You're doing such a good job, Herms,” he says softly. “I’m proud of you.”

He joins Tendo, leaving Hermann smiling. Tendo knows that smile is only going to grow as the game progresses.

*** 

Hermann wins by a landslide. Tendo doesn’t mind coming second because Newt has managed to come both third _and_ fourth - Tendo and Hermann each gave him three of their properties and a couple of hundred, and he still went broke first. Again.

Sulking, Newt goes out to buy dinner, and Tendo rolls his eyes at Hermann who chuckles. “You know,” he says after a moment, “you really should resit your drivers test." 

Tendo’s eyes narrow. “Trying to alienate both partners are you, Hermann?”

“You’ve gotten a lot better is all I’m saying,” Hermann says, hands raised. “You can reverse now.”

“Do you remember why I failed my last drivers test within the first two minutes?” Tendo asks pleasantly.

“Yes.” 

“Do enlighten the class.”

Hermann’s clearly trying not to smile. “Because the instructor refused to go anywhere in a car with a man who wouldn’t stop muttering under his breath about how terrified he was and how he was going to crash and wondering which pedal was which because he’d forgotten. Apparently you were visibly sweating too.” 

“And so do you think it’s a good idea for me to go for my drivers test yet?”

“Probably not.”

“Why is that, Hermann?”

“Because last time we went out for a lesson, you utilized every swear word in every language you know and nearly hit a tree twice. The _same_ tree twice.”

“Well then,” Tendo says and crosses his arms. “I’ll just be over here when you want to stop _giggling_ at me.”

He cleans up the game and refuses to listen to Hermann’s apologies for a good seven minutes. 

***

Thankfully the board games are put away after dinner, in favour of a documentary on the Kaiju cleanup. They’re all pretty invested in that - Newt appears _in_ it - and apart from a few spikes of pain from Hermann’s leg and a couple of nurses checking in on them, it’s just like another night in. 

Tendo starts yawning around ten and Newt unceremoniously takes his arm and leads him over to the other bed. “C’mon, no arguing," he says as Tendo does exactly that. “I napped with Hermann, I’m good to go for another four hours at least." 

“You’ll wake me at two then?”

Newt nods. “And you’ll then wake me at six.”

“Or you could both sleep,” Hermann suggests.

They both give him a look, then Tendo sighs and lies down. “Alright. If anything goes wrong, you’ll wake me immediately.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Newt kisses him on the forehead. “Goodnight, honey. See you in a few hours… or what’ll feel like about a minute to you.”

“Great,” Tendo mutters as he curls up and closes his eyes. “Night. Goodnight Herms.”

“Goodnight sweetheart.”

***

A minute (or four hours) later, Newt’s gently shaking his shoulder. Tendo opens his eyes, sees the white walls and machinery of the hospital, and turns wide eyes on Newt who quickly puts his arms around him. “Tendo,” he whispers. “Hey, it’s alright, we’re in the hospital with Hermann after his surgery. We’re in Switzerland, and you’re fine.”

He remembers it all as Newt says it and relaxes his death grip on Newt. “Sorry,” he whispers back. 

“Shh. It’s okay.” Newt lets him go, looks at him for a moment, then nods. “Alright. Hermann’s sleeping, but he’s only just dozed off and it’s pretty restless so I don’t think he’ll be out for much longer. It flared up twice, one was pretty bad but both were over fast. He’s feeling understandably miserable so talk him through the best you can.”

Tendo nods, sliding out of bed and letting Newt take his place. “I’ve got it under control,” he says, tucking Newt in because he just can’t resist. “See you in a few hours.”

Newt closes his eyes and Tendo turns away, over to Hermann’s bed. As Newt said, Hermann’s sleeping fitfully and Tendo can see where the tears have dried on his cheeks. Remembering that this was how it was last night, probably worse, and that nobody was here to help him, Tendo nearly sheds some tears of his own. Instead he sits down on Hermann’s good side and waits. 

At least this time he doesn’t shoot awake in pain. But he’s still clearly _in pain_ when he wakes, and it’s evident on his face as Hermann turns to look at Tendo. “Switching of the guard, I see,” he murmurs. “Did you sleep enough?” 

“Yeah, of course I did. You didn’t, though.”

“No. I probably won’t.”

“Anything I can do to help make the night easier?”

Hermann considers, then smiles a little. “Tell me a story,” he says. “One of your Shatterdome antics.”

Tendo smiles too. “Alright. Want to hear about the time Chuck Hansen showed up to my room absolutely drunk out of his mind?”

“I would like nothing more.”

Tendo tells it, spinning the story out as long as he can just to keep Hermann smiling. Then he draws up a few other stories - walking in on Herc and Stacker halfway through a bottle of whisky, the Kaidonovskys sharing their vodka with him on a night he really only remembers bits and pieces of, and naturally the time he found Newt on his eighth beer and talking about how much he loved Hermann. 

Hermann chuckles quietly through the stories, and rolls his eyes at the one about Newt. “Yes, I knew about that one," he says when Tendo finishes. “I saw it in the Drift and confronted him later. And of course I knew at the time since he showed up hungover the next day.”

“Tell me you gave him absolute hell.”

“I might have been slightly louder with my chalk than I needed to.”

Tendo laughs, then stops when Hermann’s expression switches to one of pain. “Okay," he says quickly, shifting closer and putting a hand on his shoulder. “It's okay, it’ll pass. How bad?”

“Red.”

“Good. Not good but…” Tendo shakes his head and gently rubs Hermann’s arm, watching him closely. “Breathe,” he instructs. “Nice and slow. You’re going to be okay.” 

God he feels helpless. He just watches and waits while Hermann rides it out, and sighs in relief when Hermann does. “They’re getting shorter,” Hermann says after a few minutes of silence, wiping away the few tears that have escaped - but thankfully only a few.  

“That’s a good sign, right? How long does it usually take after the surgery for it to stop hurting?”

“It always hurts,” Hermann says with a sigh. “In some form or another, there’s always pain.”

Tendo shifts his hand to stroke Hermann’s hair. He doesn’t really know what to say - Hermann doesn’t talk about his leg often, and while Tendo knows that there are bad days, he’s never realized that there are never really good days either.  

Hermann smiles after a moment. “Apologies. I’m being melodramatic. The pain from the surgery should ease within a few days - with medication I should sleep through tomorrow night and from then on, and by the end of the week I’ll be walking again.” 

“Isn’t that too soon?”

“It would be for someone having surgery on a formerly healthy limb. Because I’ve always had levels of stiffness and pain, I tend to ‘bounce back’ faster, at least to my level.”

Tendo nods. “Okay. As long as you don’t push it and know that we’re here to help you.”

Hermann smiles. “I know,” he says softly. “I'm very glad to have you both here tonight."

Tendo kisses his forehead. “Would you like me to read to you?” he asks. “I know that always makes me sleep easily when you do.”

“Yes, I know you think I’m boring,” Hermann says, smirking a little. “But I would like that.”

Tendo goes in search of a good book, then finds the one he’s buried in the bottom of the bag. It’s not one he’s shown Hermann, suspecting it might not go down as well in the light of day, but at this time of night it seems perfect. “I got this from Sasha,” he says, bringing out the large book and returning to his chair, resting it on his knee. “Russian folk tales. I had trouble sleeping one night and she read it to me and I know it’s childish but it really worked so maybe…”

Hermann looks at the cover, and he’s smiling. “She came into the lab one night, sat me on the couch and read this to me until I had no choice but to go to bed,” he says. “I wondered where it had gotten to.”

“Maybe she knew that one day I’d need to read it to you,” Tendo says, smiling softly, and opens the book. 

He starts with The Death of Koschei the Immortal, and by the time he reaches Father Frost, Hermann’s fast asleep. Tendo looks at him for a few minutes, then turns the page and keeps going, reading aloud in barely more than a whisper. He knows Hermann’s sleep can turn restless in a moment, so perhaps the constant sound might keep him asleep. 

Either way, it gives Tendo something to do for the next three hours. 

***

Hermann sleeps right through said hours. Tendo’s long finished the book by the time he needs to wake Newt, and he’s yawning, barely keeping his eyes open. He looks over at the other bed, at Newt fast asleep, then at Hermann who has barely moved in three hours. Then Tendo shrugs and gently eases himself onto Hermann’s bed, curling around him just a little, and goes straight to sleep. 

***

The next spike of pain wakes them all at seven-thirty, but it’s short and barely even classifies as red, which is a relief to Tendo. It seems to be a relief to Hermann as well, who insists on putting his bed upright and getting used to sitting up again. Tendo goes to pick up breakfast for all of them from the cafeteria downstairs, and when he returns Newt’s back in bed with Hermann and the two are mocking the same breakfast show Hermann had been watching with glazed eyes twenty-four hours earlier. It’s great to see. 

The first lot of morning pills come in just after breakfast, and Hermann eyes them up. “When am I being released?” he asks.

“Your surgeon will be by in about an hour to check you over, and if he gives the all clear then you can go.”

“So you’ll give me the strong stuff then? So I can walk out.” 

Newt and Tendo swap an amazed look, then turn to the nurse who’s smiling. “They told me you’d be trouble, Doctor Gottlieb,” he says. “It’s a wheelchair to the car, I’m afraid.”

“I can walk,” Hermann says firmly.”

“Well, hospital policy dictates otherwise. Nobody gets out of the hospital if they're not in a wheelchair, no matter the circumstances.” The nurse looks at Hermann’s expression, then over to Newt and Tendo. “I’ll just leave this argument with you two, I think," he says, and backs out. 

“C’mon, Herms, you’ve gotta let me push you in the wheelchair,” Newt says immediately.

“Amazingly enough, that is _not_ helping the argument,” Hermann says. 

“Leave it to the professional,” Tendo says with a smirk. “Hermann, if you take the wheelchair, I’ll make you apple crumble tonight.”

Hermann opens his mouth to argue, then pauses. “With custard?” 

“But of course." 

Hermann sighs. “Bribery,” he mutters. “So unbecoming, Tendo Choi.”

“Is that a yes?” 

Another sigh. “ _Fine._ ”

“Great. Newt, you definitely get to push him.”

“ _Great_ ,” Newt says with far too much enthusiasm, and Hermann shoots Tendo a slightly horrified look.

Tendo just smirks.

***

There’s a knock at the door just under an hour later and Tendo, curled up next to Hermann, quickly jumps up as the surgeon enters. “Doctor Gottlieb,” he says with a nod, then looks at Tendo and Newt. “Doctor Gottlieb’s partners,” he says. “Excellent to meet you - he said some interesting things about you both as he was going under general anaesthetic. Naturally I can’t repeat them, patient confidentiality, but they were all good things. Weren’t they, Doctor Gottlieb?”

Tendo and Newt both turn to look at Hermann who, slightly pink, just shrugs. “I can’t remember.”

“Ah well,” the surgeon says, and reaches for the curtain. “If you wouldn’t mind?”

They step back and let him seal Hermann off. Tendo leans agains the wall, then raises an eyebrow when Newt wraps his arms around Tendo’s waist and rests his head on his shoulder. “Hi there,” he says.

“Hey. Haven’t gotten to hug you much this weekend.”

Tendo smiles and kisses the top of his head. “You're adorable, you know that?”

“I try really hard.”

“We know.” 

After a few minutes, the curtain draws back and the surgeon gives them both a nod. “He’s good to go. Who’ll be driving him in for physiotherapy over the next two weeks?” 

Newt snickers. “Me,” he says with a look at Tendo, who just rolls his eyes. “But give the details to this one because he’ll organize all that.” 

Tendo takes the appropriate forms and puts them with the rest of their things. He turns back to find a nurse with a wheelchair, Newt with a grin and Hermann with a glare. “Must I really?” 

“Apple crumble,” Tendo reminds him. “I’ll buy that ice cream you like too.” 

“Bring it over,” Hermann says with a long-suffering sigh.

***

But, of course, it can’t end simply.

As he’s signing them out, Tendo feels eyes on him and looks up to see one of the nurses who he isn’t familiar with staring between himself and Newt. “Who’s the primary caregiver?” she asks, holding up the medication for Hermann to take home.  

“We both are,” Tendo says, and holds out a hand to take it.

She doesn’t give it to him. “Yes, but who’s the _primary_ caregiver?” she repeats, as if the emphasis will make a difference. “I can only release this to his primary caregiver.”

“We’re both his primary caregivers,” Tendo says patiently. “Check the file - we’re both listed as his partners, we have equal status.”

“Well… which one of you is _more_ of -“

Another nurse bustles over before she can finish that, and draws her aside. Tendo hears a few sharp words about _polyamory_ and _legitimate relationship_ before the new nurse turns back with the medication. “My apologies,” she says as she hands it to him. “That one’s new. They don’t teach them how to handle every situation, but one would _think_ this would be obvious." 

Tendo smiles. “No harm done. Consider it a learning moment.”

He heads over to the door, where Hermann looks slightly sulky in his wheelchair, and Newt looks curious. “Everything alright?” he asks. 

“Poor dear had never seen a polyamorous relationship before,” Tendo says with a smirk. “Didn’t know which one of us was the responsible one in charge of medication. She figured it out in the end, though, clearly, since she gave it to me.”

Newt chuckles. “Well you might have the meds, but I’ve got the Hermann." 

“Yes, and the Hermann would like to get _out_ of this chair,” Hermann reminds them. “Can we go home now?”

Tendo presses a kiss to his forehead. “Of course we can, _myshka._ ”

“You are _not_ making that stick.”

“Just you watch me.” 

**Author's Note:**

> This seemed like a good stopping point or else I would’ve written another 8k. Tendo and Newt fuss over Hermann for the next week, who grumbles a lot about being able to do things but secretly loves the attention. He’s all good to go for their anniversary which is great because he has some damn good plans. 
> 
> I always get uncertain about the 'ableism' tag, which I've seen used on similar fic before where I didn't think it applied. If you think it's needed for this, let me know and I'll add it.


End file.
